Why Bournemouth have sacked the man who saved them from relegation

Premier League club AFC Bournemouth have parted ways with their manager Gary O’Neil.

Bournemouth confirmed that their head coach has departed from the club through a statement on their website on Monday afternoon.

“We can today confirm we have parted company with head coach Gary O'Neil,” the club said in a statement.

O’Neil took over reigns at the Vitality Stadium first as an interim manager before he was given the role on a permanent basis last year.

He went on to save the Cherries from relegation with four games to spare, with 10 wins and six draws in the Premier League.

However, the news of his sack comes as a shock but according to the club, the decision to let their manager go has been described as one that will help the club position itself ahead of next season.

"Gary's achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for,” club chairman and owner Bill Foley stated.

“This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.”

Speaking further on the decision, the club owner added that the club will be fine without the manager as they have put plans in place to ensure that is the case.

‘"As a club, we have put plans in place for long-term success with improvements being made to infrastructure, most notably the development of a new state-of-the-art training facility and the ongoing discussions around upgrades to our stadium,” he added.

"We have also identified a number of significant targets in the transfer market this summer and believe this change in direction will provide us with the best platform from which to build.”